Reflections of Learning
Learning is an important part of school. We have learned a great deal, but on the other hand, who cares if we don't reflect! So, we have asked all of our class to write reflections of what we have done and how they feel. Kelly Chen, of 5-301, wrote a heart-breaking reflection, not in a bad way. It's so sad to learn what the truth is, but we learned it. Here is what she says:
DEALING WITH DEFORESTATION: BY KELLY CHEN
There are many challenges that we are facing in the environment. So what if we accidentally pulling a plant out of the ground, that’s just one plant,right? Now here’s the problem, there are a lot of plants out there giving us oxygen. Can you believe that uprooting one little plant from the ground can lead to deforestation? Deforestation is a huge problem, especially in Borneo and Sumatran, or more specifically Indonesia. Deforestation leads to disaster, especially if a lot of animals live in that place. It leaves animals without any home--no home means that they cannot survive in the place where the once called home, because most of it is gone.
In Indonesia people are deforesting the land, just for palm oil plantations, and you may wonder what’s wrong with that. The amount of land they are deforesting from the animal’s natural habitat is too much, and animals such as the orangutans, cannot survive with the small amount of space they have left. You may also have other questions such as, “Why can’t the animals just live on the palm oil plantations?” “Can’t the palm oil plantation be moved to another part of the world, except for Indonesia?” Some of the answers are upsetting, and some of the answers show that the companies that manufacture palm oil are being greedy.
In Indonesia people are deforesting the land, just for palm oil plantations, and you may wonder what’s wrong with that. The amount of land they are deforesting from the animal’s natural habitat is too much, and animals such as the orangutans, cannot survive with the small amount of space they have left. You may also have other questions such as, “Why can’t the animals just live on the palm oil plantations?” “Can’t the palm oil plantation be moved to another part of the world, except for Indonesia?” Some of the answers are upsetting, and some of the answers show that the companies that manufacture palm oil are being greedy.
As a class, we have started to confront these problems, and we are now trying to bring awareness to the school, of this deforestation problem and we even had a SKYPE session earlier this year with former Girl Scout named Madison Vorva, who brought awareness to how Girl Scouts’ cookies are helping destroy the orangutans’ environment with the use of palm oil.. I was really excited to hear from Madison. I was surprised to hear information that I didn’t know. I was shocked by the fact that orangutans were dying due to palm oil plantations..
It was terrible to find out that even before the palm oil company had even planted the palm oil tree, I found out that orangutans had been starving, with nothing to eat, because its berries were gone, and the natural foods for orangutans were disappearing and were being replaced by orangutans, and they could only make homes out of tree trunks, and those trees were the one that were going to be cut down. The orangutans were so desperate to find food that they even went to bark for food, and they would tear it out from their home in the trees. I was also shocked and quite glad that rescue teams were going to help the stranded orangutans that are in the crisis of deforestation. (Though I wouldn’t exactly call their way of rescuing orangutans the best way, as they would stun the orangutans, and the orangutans would fall in a net, and they couldn’t do anything because they were stunned, and they would get tied up in the nets, and be carried off.)
It was terrible to find out that even before the palm oil company had even planted the palm oil tree, I found out that orangutans had been starving, with nothing to eat, because its berries were gone, and the natural foods for orangutans were disappearing and were being replaced by orangutans, and they could only make homes out of tree trunks, and those trees were the one that were going to be cut down. The orangutans were so desperate to find food that they even went to bark for food, and they would tear it out from their home in the trees. I was also shocked and quite glad that rescue teams were going to help the stranded orangutans that are in the crisis of deforestation. (Though I wouldn’t exactly call their way of rescuing orangutans the best way, as they would stun the orangutans, and the orangutans would fall in a net, and they couldn’t do anything because they were stunned, and they would get tied up in the nets, and be carried off.)
Our “Behind the Scenes” projects motivated me to learn about the problem and try not to use products that contain palm oil. I wan to be like Madison Vorva, to be motivated to do something because you know it is right—just like Jane Goodall. It’s all about making a difference. Madison had also stated that if we wanted to make difference, then we also had to face hardships, like getting teased because we paid so much attention to that, just like what Madison and her friend Rhiannon went through. Though to still continue something you have been made fun of that is called true love of something.
Madison’s Skype session, the “Behind the Scenes” projects, and all of our humane education and service learning activities have had a strong impact on me. I realized that I have been contributing to the destruction of the orangutans’ environment by using products with palm oil and eating foods that contain palm oil. Being engaged in humane education and service learning is so much more than just learning. It’s about finding out how our actions have consequences on all living things and trying to make changes to make our world better. I now want to try and do something to help save pandas!!!
Madison’s Skype session, the “Behind the Scenes” projects, and all of our humane education and service learning activities have had a strong impact on me. I realized that I have been contributing to the destruction of the orangutans’ environment by using products with palm oil and eating foods that contain palm oil. Being engaged in humane education and service learning is so much more than just learning. It’s about finding out how our actions have consequences on all living things and trying to make changes to make our world better. I now want to try and do something to help save pandas!!!